Overweight and obesity among foreign-born and U.S.-born Hispanics

Biodemography Soc Biol. 2008 Fall;54(2):183-99. doi: 10.1080/19485565.2008.9989141.

Abstract

In this study, data from the New Immigrant Survey and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey are combined to examine patterns of overweight and obesity among U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics. Results indicate that, after using height and weight measures adjusted for self-reporting bias, foreign-born Hispanic men and women have substantially lower likelihoods of being overweight and obese than the U.S.-born. However, both likelihoods increase as years in the U.S. accumulate for the foreign-born. Controls for smoking behavior, physical activity, and the degree of dietary change do not reduce the strength of the positive relationship between years in the U.S. and overweight/obesity.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Body Mass Index
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Emigration and Immigration / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Health Behavior / ethnology
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Health Surveys
  • Hispanic or Latino / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Internationality
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Obesity / epidemiology*
  • Overweight / epidemiology*
  • Risk Factors
  • Transients and Migrants / statistics & numerical data*
  • United States / epidemiology
  • United States / ethnology
  • Young Adult